


Missing You

by TonyStarkisababe1967



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Dean, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence, but not really lovers because sex is gross, cursing, cuteness, destiel au, homohpobia, i don't hate john it's just for this story, mildy, nothing graphic though, well enemies to friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-05-16 04:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonyStarkisababe1967/pseuds/TonyStarkisababe1967
Summary: Castiel was trying to live his normal life as a waiter for a small diner. Of course the boy next door had to be Dean Winchester, and of course that bicycle riding maniac had to be so damn cute. Some things, though, are not cute about Dean. Some things are dark, and scary, and make him into a person who most look down on, just because of his scars. Castiel doesn't think he can fix Dean, or heal him, but he knows, as he watches Dean walk away each time something goes wrong, that he sure is going to miss him.





	1. Meeting you

“I don’t need a tiny freaking raise, I need a promotion! I need money Rick!” The 20 year old argued with the older man, wiping his greasy hands on his gray jumpsuit.  
“You know I can’t do that, Winchester.”  
“I need food, asshole!” He followed Rick into his office. The owner of the shop pulled out a large book.  
“You know what this is, kid?”  
“Attend-” Dean was cut off before he could finish sadly naming the book.  
“Attendance, yeah.” He opened it up, pointing at a fairly empty spot. “These are the hours you’ve been here in the past week.  
“I come here in all my free time, Rick.” He sighed angrily, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “I got 3 other jobs, what do you expect me to do?”  
“Quit the other ones!” He yelled, suddenly angry.  
“I could do that if you gave me more money! I got a kid brother to take care of, okay? What am I supposed to tell him, huh?” He slammed a hand down on the old wooden desk. “‘Sorry bud’? ‘No, you can’t go to the freaking school dance this weekend because tickets are 20 dollars and I can’t afford that because my boss is a jackass’?” He yelled. The hand that hit him across the face surprised him, but it wasn't exactly unexpected.  
“You’ll treat me with respect if you wanna keep this job. You hear that, bitch?” Dean nodded, a hand on the place where he had been hit. “Alright, get out of here. Go babysit your brother or something.”  
“You didn’t give me my paycheck.” Dean grumbled. Rick laughed.  
“You’ll get your paycheck when you earn it.” He dismissed. Dean stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. He walked through the garage in the shop, dodging another worker as he climbed out from under one of the cars. He unzipped his jumpsuit half way, then took out his arms. He tied the sleeves sloppily around his waist, revealing a dirty white undershirt. He looked at his shoes, which he had stepped in a gas puddle with today. They were ruined. Freaking great, he thought.  
“Hey!” Can’t afford a new pair, these were nice shoes, dammit. “Hey! Sir, excuse me!” Dean shook his head, wondering who the young voice was calling. He kept his head down, brow furrowed. That’s when he felt the tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see the bluest eyes he had ever seen.  
“Shit, you’re eyes are so bright.” He muttered at the boy, who couldn't have been much older than him. The boy blinked, confused.  
“Um, and yours are green,” he said blandly. “I overheard your conversation in there.” He pointed back to the mechanics. Dean’s hands formed to fist. He just wasn’t in the mood to deal with nosey college students today.  
“Okay, what’s it to you?” He asked angrily, though there was a hint of shyness in his retort. The blue eyed boy seemed taken back by his coldness.  
“I was just...I just wanted to say if you needed a new job, I could probably get you one at the diner.” He gestured with a head nod behind him, where a cheesy looking place with big blinking lights naming itself as “Angel’s Heaven”. That’s when Dean noticed the boy’s outfit. He wore a plain white long sleeve shirt with black pants, but over it lay an apron with pink stripes. It too had the name of the diner on it.  
“Nice apron.” He scoffed, beginning to walk away.  
“Nice jumpsuit.” The boy spat right to Dean’s back. This caused him to pause.  
“Listen, jackass, I’m not in the mood today, so why don’t you go serve some home fries or something to the old women you practically steal from.”  
“My name is Castiel, and I was only offering some help.” He defended himself innocently.  
“Yeah, well, I never asked for your help. See you around Cas.”  
“It’s Castiel!” The boy yelled at him as he walked away, but it fell on deaf ears as Dean stormed home. He walked the rest of the way to the apartment on Autumn and Baker, taking the fire escape up two steps at a time. He rarely bothered with the front door and found it much easier to climb up the metal death trap to the unlocked window of his room.  
“Sammy, I’m home!” he shouted as he pulled his head in the window behind his body.  
“Hi Dean!” The freckled boy smiled at his little brother’s voice. He walked over to the kitchen where he knew Sam would be sitting, studying per usual.  
“What’s up, nerd?” Sam glared at him through his long bangs that Dean had been itching to get cut.  
“Did you get your paycheck?”  
“Uh, yeah.”  
“Cool. Make sure you put it in the bank.”  
“Gotcha.” Dean replied quickly. “Listen, I think I might move to another job.” Sam looked up at him confused.  
“Why? I thought you liked the mechanics, you said the cars are cool.” Dean shrugged a bit angrily.  
“Yeah, but the people there are kinda rude.”  
“You're the one who’s always telling me to suck it up.” Sam pouted.  
That’s different, Sam.” He growled. “This is the real world, not high school.” Sam stared at his outburst for a moment before turning back to his books.  
“This isn’t another thing like the parking garage, is it?” Sam said under his breath, concerned air covering his rumpled papers.  
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. I just don’t like it there.” He assured him with a sigh. Dean walked over to the cabinet and moved some stuff around inside, looking for something. “How’s mac n’ cheese sound for dinner?” Sam made a disgusted face and ignored the way Dean had changed the topic. Dean looked over at him. “What? I thought you liked mac n’ cheese.”  
“Yeah, maybe when I was twelve!” Sam argued. “I’m 16 now, I like more sophisticated things.” Dean scoffed.  
“Sophist- okay.” He breathed, laughing. “So what kind of things do you eat now besides my amazing mac n’ cheese with gourmet ketchup on the top?”  
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Can we go out?” He asked with puppy dog eyes. Inside, Dean struggled. Money was tight right now, but he couldn’t let Sammy know that- he would just worry.  
“Sure, you thinking anywhere special?” Sam looked hopefully at his brother.  
“There’s this place near your work that everyone says is pretty great. Hey, maybe if you’re quitting the mechanics you could get a job there!” he offered. Dean ran a hand over his neck.  
“Yeah, sure, sounds good.”  
“Are you gonna ask for a job?”  
“Sure, Sammy.” The younger boy nodded, satisfied.  
“Can we go after I finish?” He gestured to his textbooks and sheets of paper.  
“Yup, gonna go take a shower.”  
“Okay.” Sam was already deep inside his books. Dean got to his room and peeled off the sweaty and dirty grey jumpsuit. He removed his white shirt and looked in the mirror. Oil stained his neck, cheek, and hair. He glanced at the dirty black converse that he had removed at the window. Ruined, he thought bitterly. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.  
He was drying his hair with a towel around his waist when Sammy called out that he was all done and getting ready. He finished getting dressed, sighing at the way gas stains still sat on his neck and made his hair a bit darker. He pulled on a grey tee, a red flannel over it, his classic blue ripped jeans, and his gross, but his only pair, of converse. Adjusting his necklace so it laid over his shirt and running his hands through his hair, he smirked in the mirror, making sure he looked okay.  
“Dean, c’mon! I’m hungry!” It was familiar shout, but it still made Dean’s chest hurt each time. He knew the kid only ate breakfast each day, one bowl of cereal before he left, but he never had enough money for lunch.  
“I’m coming. Calm down.” He smirked one last time, then came out of his bedroom. Sam was waiting by the front door in black jeans and a green buttoned up flannel with the sleeves rolled up. He wore his brown shoes today, and wore them proudly. They were fairly new, one of the few things he owned that wasn’t Dean’s first. He smiled at Dean as they walked towards the door. They made their way down the old and crumbly hallway towards the staircase that no one in the building really trusted. The brothers got to the sidewalk, grabbed their bikes (Sam loved to bike), and took off towards the place, Sam said he knew the way. It wasn’t until they pulled towards the place and locked their bikes up that Dean realised this was the diner the blue eyed boy, Castiel, worked at. He sighed. It was too late to turn back now. He made sure his old leather wallet was tucked safely in his pocket, and they walked into the little shop.  
“Hey there, kids. Two?” A nice looking old lady greeted them at the door.  
“Yes please.” Dean said eagerly with a smile. They were led to their seats. “Thank you, young lady.” he politely added.  
“Sure thing, darling. What can I get for you two today?” Dean looked over the menu as Sam ordered.  
“Can I have the french toast with a side of bacon and a coke, please?” The waitress nodded.  
“And you, sweetie?” He looked for the cheapest thing on the menu.  
“I’ll have a water, and a fried egg sandwich on white.” If Sam noticed anything odd about his order he didn’t say anything.  
“Alright, see you both in a bit.” Sam kicked Dean’s leg under the table once she had left.  
“Ow, what was that for?” He asked, confused.  
“You’re supposed to ask for a job!” He whispered loudly. The diner was empty except for them and a table of 2 older gentleman in the corner. Dean sighed.  
“Look Sammy, I don’t really want a job here.”  
“Well, if you plan on quitting your other one you need something! The other 3 barely make anything.” He looked around at the place. “Do you want me to get a job?” He offered. Dean shut him down immediately.  
“No! Stop, we’ve talked about this before. You need to focus on school so you can get into college.”  
“You didn't go to college.” he muttered  
“Yeah, and look how far that got me.” Sam shrugged, but didn’t press the issue. He looked around again, trying to find someone to talk to about his brother.  
“Here, ask that guy over there, he looks around your age. Excuse me, sir!” Sam waved a hand gesturing the boy over. It was Castiel, his shirt hanging lazily off his arms and the apron tied tightly around his waist. Dean kept his head down, not making eye contact, hoping he wouldn’t be recognized.  
“Um, Hello.” He greeted awkwardly. “How can I help you?” Sam smiled.  
“My brother was wondering how he could get a job here.” He pointed at Dean who sighed and looked up. Castiel recognized him immediately.  
“I thought you didn’t need my help.” Castiel crossed his arms.  
“I don’t, it was his idea.” he nodded to Sam, who looked confused.  
“So, what? You want a job now?” The waiter asked angrily.  
“No, just forget it.” He growled. Sam kicked his under the table. “Ow, stop doing that!” He yelled.  
“You said you would ask! If you’re quitting the mechanics you have to get another job Dean!”  
“Why are you quitting the mechanics, you’ve been working there for years!” Castiel commented.  
“Screw you, it’s none of your business!” He screamed at the waiter, then turned to Sam. “Fine, I’m not quitting the mechanics, happy now?!” Sam just stared at him.  
“You said you didn’t like it there, that the people were rude. I was just trying to help.” He said quietly. Dean sighed, slamming some cash down on the table. He stood up.  
“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back before you have to pay, but just in case.” he muttered.  
“You can’t just leave your brother here.” Castiel growled.  
“It’s okay, he’s 16...” he looked at Sammy, “and sophisticated.” This caused the boy to smirk, and Dean was out the door before either of them could protest.  
“So he’s just leaving you.” Castiel muttered to Sam angrily, but Sam just smirked awkwardly.  
“It’s fine. He goes on walks all the time. He used to get in fights a lot in highschool, but someone recommended he just walk away when he gets heated, so he does.” He shrugged. “He probably would have punched someone or something if he hadn’t left.” Castiel looked at him sadly, not comprehending why a boy would leave his 16 year old brother alone. “It’s fine. I can take care of myself. Have been for awhile.”  
“What about your parents? Shouldn’t you be with them?” Castiel asked, noticing the boy’s face darken.  
“My dad’s in jail.” Castiel paused, not knowing what to say.  
“I’m sorry. What about your mom?” Sam shook his head.  
“She died in a house fire when I was 6 months old. Dean was four, he carried me out. The fire was in my nursery,” he said dully. Castiel was shocked.  
“I’m really sorry.” Sam shrugged.  
“It’s okay.” Just then the waitress from earlier walked over with their drinks.  
“Hey doll, I heard your little argument earlier. Tell your brother if he wants a job here, he’s got it.” She placed down the drinks. “He better be back in time for the food. I don’t want any of it to go to waste.” Sam laughed.  
“I’m sure he will be.” Castiel began to walk away.  
“I have to go to that table over there, but I’ll keep an eye on you until your brother comes back.” Sam smiled again, all heaviness from earlier gone.  
“Okay, thanks.”  
It wasn’t long before Dean showed up and walked in the door. He quietly went over to their table, hands in his jean pockets, and smiled at Sam.  
“Hey,” he greeted.  
“Hi,” he said back. They both slurped on their drinks through the white plastic straws.  
“You know, I learned in science class that straws are really dangerous to the animals in the ocean.”  
“Really.” Dean smirked.  
“Yeah,” Sam replied, getting excited. “We watched this video of a sea turtle with the straw up his nose. I felt so bad for it.”  
“Well, maybe when you go to college you should become a marine biologist or something.” Dean offered, mixing his water, swirling the ice around.  
“No, I wanna be do something that helps people, not animals. Maybe like a doctor, or a police officer, or-”  
“You know, with all the arguments you win against me you would make a pretty great lawyer,” Dean cut him off and Sam laughed.  
“Yeah maybe.” Their food showed up and they both were quiet as they ate as much as they could.  
“Wow, you’d think you two were starving the way you gobbled those meals down!” The waitress laughed and the brothers just smiled.  
“Thanks for the great food, ma’am. This place is pretty nice.” Dean looked around. The waitress nodded.  
“Yeah, well, I told your brother earlier, if you need a job here you got it.”  
“Thanks.” They walked out the door, leaving as big a tip as they could, and unchained their bikes.  
“Hey, Dean!” Dean sighed. “Dean!” Castiel yelled from the open door.  
“Yeah, whad’ya want?” he asked. Cas held out a brown leather wallet. Dean’s stomach sank. He reached out and took it, not noticing the way Castiel’s eyes widened when their hands brushed each other.  
“Oh my god thank you.” He opened it up and went through it- everything was where it should have been.  
“No problem. See you around.” Dean tucked his wallet into his jacket pocket.  
“Yeah, see you.”  
“Winchester, huh? Like the gun?” Castiel asked, remembering looking at the driver’s licence to see who’s wallet it was. Dean smirked and winked as he rode away.  
“Yup, like the gun.” Castiel watched as they rode off, Dean staying a safe distance in front of his brother and glancing back every once in awhile to make sure he was still there. He looked back at the diner.  
“Winchester,” he said to himself. “Dean Winchester.”


	2. Finding You

Chapter 2:  
“Dean Winchester!” Castiel yelled down the street as Dean performed dangerous stunts on his black mountain bike. “You’re going to scare away our customers!” He yelled. Dean flipped him the bird. “Seriously?’ Castiel muttered to himself, turning the sign on the door from closed to open. It was early saturday morning, and the diner was just opening. The mechanic’s didn’t open for another half hour, but the freckled 20 year old came out here every day since the weather had turned nice in the spring.  
“Hey Cas! Watch this!” Dean jumped his bike up onto the curb, the yellow line outlining his path. He rode on it for a moment, then stood up on the pedals. After getting there, he put one foot on the seat under him, then the other. Soon he was squatting on the black leather. Dean’s face showed concentration as he stood up a bit.  
“Great, now get down and go away!” Castiel shouted so Dean could hear him.  
“You wanna see what happens when I let go?” Dean asked, then stood up all the way, leaving the handlebars to turn wherever they wanted. Dean fell instantly, landing on his side and rolling, laughing the whole time. Castiel ran over, concerned, to help him up. Dean accepted the hand with a grin. He looked up at the blue eyes when they didn’t let go of eachother for a second. Castiel broke the silence with a sigh.  
“That was so stupid.” Dean let go of Cas’ hand to set his bike up right and walk it over to the rack in front of the diner.  
“Yeah, but it was awesome.” he shrugged. “And pretty funny if I do say so myself.”  
“You’re such an ass.”  
“No, I have an ass. There’s a difference.” He laughed as Castiel blushed.  
“Hey, Winchester!” Rick yelled from the mechanics. “Get your uniform on, stop flirting, and let’s go!” To Castiel’s surprise, Dean blushed too. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. He began walking to the mechanics, still facing Cas.  
“Hey, Sam and I are thinking of coming to the diner tonight.” They’d been a couple times since the first instance about 2 months ago. “Are you working?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Cool.” He walked backwards more, almost at the front door of the shop. “Cool.” He turned finally and ran into the shop before his boss could yell at him more. Castiel sighed as the boy ran into the shop and out of his view and stood in the doorway of his own shop a few more seconds, just watching where he had stood.  
In the past two months their relationship had grown a bit. They still weren’t considered friends, Dean prefered to refer to them as arch enemies, but somehow their odd conversations and arguments always left each other smiling. Castiel couldn’t understand it if he tried, and a part of him didn’t really want to understand it. He had never felt before what was in his heart every time he saw those freckles and green eyes, when Dean came out during his break and took a walk, black stains on his clothing, face, and hair, jumpsuit tied around his waist and muscles shining under the dirty white tank top.  
Castiel was interrupted from his thoughts as an elderly couple walked past him, and he greeted them with a smile, for once not forced. Dean did that to him- made him smile for real sometimes. The waiter followed them into the restaurant, and when they finished talking with Sasha, the hostess, waitress, and owner, he went and talked with her himself.  
“I know I’m not supposed to work tonight, but could I pick up the 5 to 7 shift?” She looked at him confused.  
“Sure thing, sweetheart.”  
“And another thing, I think I’m going to take lunch break at my house today, is that okay?” She grinned.  
“Of course.” He grinned back and thanked her, then went and waited the tables he was in charge of.  
The day went by fast, with the nice weather it seemed that everyone was walking around on the streets, ready to stop in for a quick lunch or snack. It was the weekend, so they got all kinds of people. Kids, adults, businessmen, practically anyone would show up. There wasn’t a dull moment and soon enough Castiel was on his lunch break. He always hoped that Dean’s boss would let him out during his own break, but he knew the freckled boy only got one break a day and he used it to go and walk Sam home. Dean really was a nice guy, once you got past the bad boy attitude and the ‘piss off’ grins. He walked home, luckily living only around the corner. The opposite direction Dean always goes, he thought sadly. Castiel walked quickly, knowing that Sasha was nice, but still wanted him back well before rush hour at 4. He quickly arrived at his ranch house, the white and blue paint looking dull against the green grass of spring. He walked in the door, sighing as his brothers had left it unlocked.  
“I’m on break!” He yelled, hearing shouts of affirmation from each of his siblings.  
“Good for you!” Gabriel said from his room in the basement.  
“Okay!” Michael, from down the hall.  
“In here!” Balthazar, from the kitchen. His oldest brother came out from his room and met Balthazar and Castiel at the table.  
“Hi Michael.” He greeted.  
“Hey lil’ bro.” He said back, ruffling Cas’ hair.  
“What, and I get no greeting? That’s pretty rude, Cassy.” Gabe said, also coming up from the basement. “Hey, can someone make some grilled cheese or something? I’m hungry.” He rubbed his stomach.  
“On it.” Balthazar affirmed, already putting some bread on a pan.  
“I gotta go back soon, just wanted to say hi and grab a bite.” Castiel told them. They talked for a bit while Balthazar finished making 4 grilled cheese sandwiches.  
“So, anything new at work? We haven’t talked in awhile. Balthazar and I have been busy with college, Gabe’s been on tour, anything new with you?” Castiel hesitated, wondering if he should tell them about the Winchesters.  
“No.” he answered after thinking, but his brother’s knew him better.  
“Liar!” Gabe yelled. “What’re you hiding, bro bro?” Cas took a bite out of his sandwich and swallowed.  
“Well, there’s this kid, he works at the mechanic's next door. He has this little brother Sam, and they’ve been coming to the diner lately. It’s nothing really interesting. His name is Dean, Dean Winchester.” Up until that moment, his brothers had been smiling, knowing Castiel was pretty interested in the kid, but as soon as they heard the last name, they froze.  
“Winchester? Dean?” Balthazar asked.  
“Um, yeah?” He answered, confused, finishing up his grilled cheese.  
“He's bad news, Castiel.” Michael told him hesitantly.  
“Yeah, I heard his dad is in the slammer, and the boy’s a bit coo-coo, just like his pop. Winchester Senior beat the kid senseless all the time before the younger brother called the cops on him” Cas squinted.  
“He’s seems fine to me.”  
“Listen, Castiel, just stay away from him, okay?” Michael asked. “We don’t want you to get hurt.” Cas stood up from the table.  
“Listen, I’m not some teen you need to protect anymore, I’m 19. I can make my own choices.”  
“Cassy, sit down.” Gabe told him, leaning back in his chair calmly.  
“No, I have to go back to work. See you guys later. I’m working the 5-7.” He muttered as he walked out the door, grabbing his apron on the way out. He walked the rest of the way to work, thinking hard.  
So what if his brothers didn’t like him, he wasn’t asking their permission to be friends! Besides, Dean didn’t even want to be friends.  
All that stuff about his dad….Castiel didn’t know what was true and what was rumor. He arrived at his work and pulled on the apron.  
“Hi, I’m Castiel and I’ll be your waiter today. What can I get you to drink?” He said with fake cheer. The smile that Dean caused had worn off, and all that was left was worry.  
Castiel was on a quick break around 2 when it happened. It started with just yelling, and he could make out Dean’s voice mixed with another deeper one, Rick’s. That was usual, it happened almost everyday. When it got quiet all of a sudden Castiel was confused. He usually sat outside the store at this time, just looking at the sky and listening to them bicker, but it usually ended with Dean storming out and returning a few minutes later, much calmer. This time, however, it was just the silence. Dean didn’t storm out, red faced and fists clenched. Cas stood up and walked over a bit. He wasn’t snooping, he was just taking a little walk. As he walked closer he could hear urgent talking, loud whispers of the other workers. Then he heard banging coming from a back room. He walked into the doorway of the shop.  
“What’s going on?”  
“What’s it to you?” One of the workers asked, coming up to him and blocking his sight.  
“I..I work next door and uh, I’m friends with Dean, he works here, and I heard yelling and was just wondering if he was okay.” He said quickly, regretting coming over in the first place. A different worker who was smoking came over too.  
“The kid’s fine. Go back to work.” He told Castiel.  
“You’re a bastard, you know that!” He heard Dean shout from the back room, angrier than he had ever heard him before. Cas pushed past the older workers, ignoring their cursing and shouts to leave it alone. Castiel got to the door as Dean slammed it open. He paused in the doorway, staring at Castiel quizzically.  
“Get back here, boy! I ain’t done with you!” Rick yelled from behind Dean, coming towards him quickly. Dean looked at Cas with wide eyes, his hair scruffy. He reached out, grabbed Cas’ hand, and ran out of the shop, dragging Cas behind him. Dean began to run in one direction, forcing the diner worker to follow him. They ran for a bit until Dean was sure they weren’t being followed, then stopped to catch his breath. Cas watched him, concerned.   
“Dean, he’s gone.” Castiel stood right next to the boy who was panting heavily. “We’re safe now.”  
“Yeah.” Dean agreed.  
“So you can let go of my hand.” Dean looked down to see he was still gripping on tight.  
“Right, sorry.” He rubbed his chest gingerly. Looking at Dean closely, he noticed that there were angry red marks on his knuckles and face, one right under his eye and another on his sharp jawline, along with a cut on his lip. He put a hand on Dean’s shoulder, trying to ignore the way he flinched.  
“C’mon.” He started to walk, keeping the hand on Dean’s shoulder, making him want to come along.  
“Where’re we going?” he asked quietly after they had been walking for awhile. Cas didn’t answer. In a few minutes, they had reached a blue and white house, and Castiel took back his thought earlier that it didn’t shine as much compared to the grass, because at that moment his house was the brightest and best place he had ever seen. Cas led Dean, who had been quiet the whole time, a hand holding the opposite arm, to the front door. He pushed it open, glad he didn’t lock it when he stormed out before. “Is this your house?” He asked softly.  
“Yeah.” Castiel didn’t greet his brothers or let them know he was there, but Gabriel was sitting in the kitchen when Cas and Dean walked in.  
“Hey, Cassy. I thought you were working late, and who’s that?”  
“I’m Dean.” He told the older boy.  
“Dean Winchester? Cassy we told you-”  
“He’s hurt.” He cut his brother off. “His boss was being a dick and hit him a bunch.”  
“Well, I got a few swings in too.” Dean defended himself, still not as confident as he usually was, but smirking. Gabe looked at him, then at his brother.  
“There’s a first aid kit in Michael’s room.” Cas nodded. He pointed to a chair.  
“Sit there.” He commanded Dean.  
“Cas, I’m fine, okay?” He looked at a clock on the wall. “And it’s almost 2:30, I gotta go get Sam.”  
“I’ll pick up Sam.” Gabriel offered, standing up and grabbing a pair of keys. Dean looked nervous.  
“I don’t know-”  
“I trust Gabe, Dean.” Cas told him solidly, earning a smile from Gabriel.  
“Alright, fine.” Dean sighed regretfully. “Tell him ‘Colombo’.” Everyone gave him a funny look. “It’s our code word for when other people pick him up, so he knows it’s safe.” Gabriel sent a smirk in Castiel’s direction, but nodded. He spun the keys around his finger and walked out the door.  
“I’ll be right back.” He told Dean, who rolled his eyes. Castiel headed into Michael’s room. The older brother looked up from the book he was reading while lying on his bed and smiled.  
“Hi Castiel.” He greeted.  
“Hi. I have Dean Winchester in the kitchen and I need the first aid kit.” Michael’s smile faltered.  
“Sorry, what?”  
“Yeah, I know, I heard it all from Gabe already. He was hurt because his boss hit him and I didn’t know where to go because he looked all sad and lonely and worried and his eyes are usually so green and bright and nice but they looked cold so I brought him here.” Michael continued to stare at him.  
“Where’s Gabriel?”  
“Picking up Sam from school.”  
“Sam Winchester?”  
“Yes.”  
“So just to get this straight, you brought a hurt Dean Winchester into our house, without asking, then sent your older brother to go pick up Sam Winchester, who I heard is just like Lucifer.” Castiel’s eyes flickered at the mention of his other brother’s name but continued anyway.  
“Yes. Well, actually, technically Gabe volunteered..and Sam’s really nice, so, where’s the first aid kit?” Michael pointed to his dresser’s top drawer. Castiel reached into the wooden dresser and fished out the white case. “Thanks.” He was out the door again in a matter of seconds. Michael shook his head and went back to his book.


	3. Fixing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter touches themes of child abuse

When the dark haired boy entered the kitchen again, Dean was eating a bag of chips.  
“Where did you even get those?” Castiel asked, looking around. As he was turned around, something hit the back of his head. He spun around to see what it was and found a cherry tootsie pop on the ground. He looked up at Dean’s smug face, and the freckled boy shrugged.  
“The world may never know.” Cas shook his head, not remembering having tootsie pops in his house since he was in highschool. He smirked and tossed the first aid kit over to him.  
“What, you’re not gonna patch up my boo-boos? This one needs a kiss to make it better.” He pointed to a smudge of grease on his arm. Castiel blushed slightly.  
“First of all, that’s not even a bruise, and second of all, you’re 20, I’m pretty sure you can take care of your own ‘boo-boos’.” He tried to sound annoyed but it came out as amused. Dean made a pouty face at him as he pulled out an alcohol wipe. He laughed to himself.  
“Teeth, man.” He grinned. “Fights would be so much less bloody without them.” With that thought circling through Castiel’s mind, he watched as Dean tugged on his bleeding lip and quickly brought the pad up to it. His fist clenched by his side and Castiel took a small step forward, but before he could offer to help the alcohol pad was down again and Dean was holding a hand to his face, grasping it tightly. He took it away after a moment and grinned tightly. “There, it’s all clean now.” Cas couldn’t help but smile as Dean balled up the small pad until it was the size of a spit ball and tossed it into the small trash can over by the kitchen counter.  
“What was the fight about?” Castiel asked. He shrugged.  
“Same old. He didn’t want to give me my paycheck, I apparently don’t work enough hours, he didn’t want me to go pick up Sammy.” He listed off aimlessly. His green eyes shun as they peered into Cas’. “The guy’s a real asshole, I don’t know why I ever started working there in the first place. I had three jobs when I started, now I only got the one. He made me quit all the others, can you believe that?” He sounded angry, but his eyebrows scrunched up in hurt and confusion.   
“I don’t think you have a job there anymore, either.” Cas told him blandly, earning a glare. “Sorry.” He muttered. Dean’s face softened.  
“Nah, it’s okay. You’re right.” He looked at the magnets on the refrigerator, then, as though suddenly getting an idea, broke out of the stillness and lifted his shirt up. He bundled the thin fabric up and pulled it up over his head.  
“Wha- what are you doing?” Dean smirked as he finished taking the shirt off. He laughed at Castiel’s blushing.  
“I’m checking to see if I have bruises.” He said simply, prodding his side with gentle fingers. Cas’ eyes widened as he took in Dean’s stomach and chest. Across it lay countless scars, some small dark circles while others were white as a clean bed sheet. They came in all shapes and sized, and Castiel decided right then and there that they didn’t belong there. It looked unnatural on his thin stomach and muscular chest. Like a child’s play toy, trying to put the circle in the square hole. Dean didn’t seem to notice Cas’ staring until he looked up at a sudden sound in the doorway.   
“What the hell?” Gabriel marched into the kitchen, looking over the boy carefully. Sam, backpack still secure around his shoulders, followed closely behind. He ran ahead of the taller blond haired boy and over to Dean.  
“Are you okay? Gabriel told me your boss hit you. What happened?” He said quickly. Dean smiled and put his hands on Sam’s shoulders.  
“I’m fine, dude. Relax. My ex-boss was just being a dick. Don’t worry, I hit him back, so we’re even.” He rustled Sam’s hair gently and grinned. Sam ducked out of Dean’s reach and patted his brown strands down, but there was a smile on his face. “Hey, was Gabe here nice to you?”  
“Do you have something again using people’s full names?” Cas sighed. Dean only shrugged and turned back to his little brother.  
“Yeah, his car is pretty cool, have you seen it?” Dean shook his head.  
“What’s the model?” He asked Sam, but Gabriel replied.  
“It’s a 1967 chevy impala. Black, 4 door.” Dean whistled.   
“That is a nice car.” Gabriel only shrugged.  
“I’m trying to get a new one. The Impala’s not exactly in the best condition, it’s basically junk metal. There’s enough dents on there, you’d think we just had a hail storm.”  
“Dean knows about cars, maybe he could fix it!” Sam suggested excitedly, looking at Dean with pleading eyes. “It’s a really cool car Dean.”   
“I’d be up for it if you are.” Dean told Gabe, who smiled.  
“Sounds good.” Everyone but Sam had been staring at Dean’s scars the whole conversation, but the young man didn’t seem to mind. Of course, that’s when Michael walked in.  
“Hey, Castiel, are you done yet?” he called out, but froze as his eyes met the green ones sitting in a chair.  
“What the hell?”  
“That’s what I said.” Gabriel remarked.  
“What happened to you?” he asked, walking forward. Sam placed a protective arm on Dean’s shoulder, leaning over on it.  
“His boss hit him.” He answered for his brother.  
“Well, yeah, I know that part, but what’s with those scars?” Dean seemed to care for the first time and looked around for his shirt.  
“None of your concern.” He pushed out, pulling his shirt on and hiding the angry white markings.  
“Sorry, just when my little brother takes some kid into our house who’s all messed up like that I kind of want to know what’s happening.” Dean stood up, taking Sam’s bag and lifting it onto his shoulders. He squared Micheal down.  
“See ya, Cas.” He said, still looking at Michael. The black haired boy, who hadn’t said a thing since he had seen the scars, nodded.  
“Yeah, see ya Dean.” He said quietly. Dean waited another moment, looking at Michael, then put a hand on Sam’s shoulder and led him out the door.  
“Wait, do you need a ride?” Castiel yelled before he could walk out the door.  
“He can walk.” Michael protested sternly. Cas kept looking at Dean, who smiled.  
“Sure, we’d love a ride.” He answered. Without hesitation, Gabe tossed the keys to Castiel, who caught them swiftly and followed Dean and Sam out the door, ignoring Michael’s yelling.  
The trio marched out to the car definitely, Dean still favoring his chest and a twist of pain on his face. He slid into the passenger's side and Sam got in the back while Castiel effortlessly went over to the driver side, threw open the door, and threw himself in.  
“Where do you live?” He asked angrily, keeping his eyes in front of him and not looking at the grease covered boy next to him.  
“Corner of Autumn and Baker.” Cas nodded and turned the key that he had gently put into the ignition. He pulled out of the driveway and spun around, so they were heading back to the diner. It was the only way Cas knew to get to the Winchester’s house and neither of them objected to his route. Sam fidgeted in the back seat, rustling the fabric of his backpack.  
“Thanks for sticking up for us, Castiel.”  
“Sam.” Dean warned him in a voice that said no chick flick moments. Castiel smirked.  
“My pleasure.” Dean fingered the label on his jumpsuit, which lay tied around his waist. Castiel turned, and they passed by the garage and the diner. Dean stiffened as he saw his boss outside with an ice pack held to his jaw, but no one said anything. Dean reached for the knob that controlled the radio, but decided against it mid movement and his hand went to wrap around his chest again. They safely passed by the garage without the boss bothering to look up. Dean let his breath go. They drove on. There was a speed bump up the road, and it jostled Deans hurt torso. He flinched, but no one spoke of it.   
“That’s it right there.” Dean pointed to the brick apartment building and Castiel slowed the car down. They pulled up to the curb. Sam immediately hopped out of the car, dragging his bag with him.   
“I’ll go up and unlock the window. Wait here.” Dean was about to object, but the kid was already gone.  
“Why does it matter if the window’s locked, and why do you look like your puppy just ran away?” Castiel asked.  
“The stairs here are a little bit out of whack, I don’t like Sam going up them. We use the fire escape, but we got robbed once and lost almost everything, so we have to lock the window when we’re gone.” Castiel laughed shortly. “What?” Dean demanded, not knowing what was so funny.  
“Nothing, it seems like a great place.” He said with a smile. Dean shrugged, a small smirk coming onto his own face.  
“Yeah, but it’s a lot better than some of the motels we used to stay in with-” he cut off and tried to mistake his catch in the breath as a cough. “With our dad.”  
“Oh.” Cas said simply. There was a moment of silence.  
“I wonder what’s taking Sam so lo-”  
“Are the rumors true?” Castiel cut him off, a quizzical look on his face.  
“What rumors?” Dean asked, but he knew. Cas regretted asking because of the stoney look on the boys face.  
“The ones that, uh, that your dad, you know-”  
“Oh, the one’s that say my dad beat me and my brother called the cops on him? Yeah, they are.” He gave Castiel a look. “But I’m not insane, there’s nothing wrong with me.” He waved a hand in the air. “All that stuff is a load of crap.”  
“Yeah, because obviously you’re perfectly fine.” Dean sat up a little straighter.  
“What are you trying to say?”  
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe that something’s wrong with letting your boss hit you for months, with living in this shit hole, with being so protective of your brother you’d think you're his father, hell, with letting your dad beat you-”  
“Letting my dad beat me? You think I let him? Oh, poor old me, Dean Winchester, nothing I can do about it? When was mom was here, we did family things, we went camping, I was a boy scout, we took martial arts classes, I could defend myself. I didn’t let him do anything, you got that?” Cas wanted to back down, but something about the pooling of water in Dean’s green eyes made him continue.  
“Is that why your little brother had to call the cops for you?” He said quieter than Dean had been.  
“My brother made a mistake. We almost got split up, we were lucky our uncle could take us in for a few months while I waited to turn 18.”  
“So by saving your ass he messed up? Jeez, you sound like my brother.”  
“Which one, the asshhole one who freaked out about my scars? Like I put them there?”  
“Yeah, well, he’s the same one who drove my brother away, so I’m not exactly on his side either. You don’t have to act like you’re okay, Dean. You don’t have to be okay.” It was quiet for a minute as Dean stared at Castiel and Castiel stared out the window. Eventually, Dean sighed and shifted.  
“Which brother? Gabe?” Dean sensed the cloud that came over him. Castiel didn’t answer at first.  
“He wasn’t at the house, hasn’t been since he ran away at 15.” Cas finally said and sighed, knowing Dean wanted more information. “My dad had gone missing, and he knew none of us had jobs, so he went off to find him. He came back a few hours later and Michael chewed him out over it, saying it was his fault dad was gone, and that he shouldn’t have gone out like that, he caused enough problems already. Well, that night he left and...and he never came back.” He said it stone cold, but there was something pooling in both of their eyes now.  
“What was his name?”  
“Lucifer. I used to call him Lucy for short.” Suddenly, there was something wet on his cheek.  
“Hey, it’s okay.” Dean told him, leaning over more and resting an arm on the seat behind him. “It’s...it’s always going to get okay.” He wasn’t quite sure what to say, but it must have worked because Cas sniffed and laughed, then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.  
“It happened so long ago, I don’t know why I still get upset.”  
“Sometimes these things just don’t go away that quickly. They stay with you for a long time.” He explained softly. He tried to smile but his cut lip pulled and he wound up flinching.  
“Are you okay?” Cas suddenly sat up straighter, so that they were peering into eachothers eyes only a few inches away.  
“Yeah.” Dean choked out, blood rushing to his cheeks. “Yeah, I think I am.”  
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want you going home if you-” He was cut off as Dean’s lips gently pecked his own. It was over in a second, but the warmth stayed, sending a good feeling into his chest. They looked at each other, Dean seemed scared, but Cas sent him a smile. He began to lean forward, so they were nose to nose, about to kiss again.  
“Dean!” The freckled boy jumped, trying to stand up but instead hitting his head on the ceiling of the car. “Dean, c’mon, I unlocked the window!” The yell was coming from upstairs. Sam was hanging out the window, obviously not seeing how close the two boys were.  
“Yeah, I’ll be right up!” He yelled, still looking at Castiel. He scooted back and opened the door.  
“Come work at the diner.” Cas said stilly before Dean could close the door behind him.  
“Okay.”  
“I mean it.”  
“So do I.” And then Dean was gone, climbing noisily up the metal staircase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright finally there is something between Dean and Cas! I promise it gets cuter if you keep reading :)


	4. Liking You

“Welcome to Angel’s Heaven, my name’s Dean and I’ll be your servant today.” The table laughed. “Could I start you guys off with something to drink?”  
He went back into the kitchen and came back out with 2 Sprites and a water.  
“I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu, my masters.” He bowed dramatically. He walked away and almost ran into Castiel.  
“Stop referring to yourself as the customer’s servant.” He told Dean, who only dazed him with a grin.  
“Nah.” He shrugged as Cas sighed. “What? The people love it!” He complained while smiling.  
“You're lucky you’re cute, Winchester.” He threw over his shoulder while going back to his own table.  
“You think I’m cute?” Castiel froze, realising what he had said.  
“Oh-um, I-” He stopped stuttering and began laughing as he turned around and saw Dean with two straws up his nose, a smile on his face and crinkled eyes.  
“I think you’re pretty cute too.” He said before winking, the straws still in his nose making his voice sound nasally. They stared at each other for a minute, smiling with red cheeks, before Castiel snapped out of it.  
“I have tables to wait.”  
“Yeah, me too.” They each walked away, still glancing back every once in awhile at the boy who made their hearts stutter.  
At 2:15 the first day Dean had hesitantly asked Sasha if he could run over to the school to pick up Sam, and he flinched when she laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder, telling him he was a good brother and to take as much time as he needed. Now, he simply nodded at Sasha at that time each day, and when she nodded back, Dean left.  
Dean had only been working there for about a week, but the people there loved him. His bright eyes, pale skin, and freckles made him a golden boy for anyone over the age of 50. In the uniform with the pink apron, he seemed like the kind of kid you wanted your daughter to bring home. He was always smiling, and Castiel hadn’t seen him have to go for a walk in awhile.   
When he had first started he was a bit shy. He argued with Cas that he wasn’t really a people person and would rather be a busboy or something, but Castiel only guided him toward the spare apron in the kitchen and told him he’s be fine. And he really was, fine that is. Some of the cold looks he used to rest with were warming up, and he stopped being so defensive.  
Castiel wondered every day what the green eyes were looking at as Dean stared in his direction, thinking there was something behind him each time. Eventually, he caught on, grinning and looking back each time with blue sparkles. They began hanging out more, even on weekend when they had no obligation to do anything related with the other.  
“Dean…” Castiel muttered out one friday morning in between customers.  
“Yeah?” Dean asked, seeing his friends worried face and becoming concerned. “What is it, what’s wrong?”  
“Nothing. I was just…”  
“Yeah?” Dean asked again. He took a step closer, peering with a wondering soul into Cas’ eyes.  
“Will you go out with me?” Dean tilted his head.  
“What, like, outside?” Cas smiled, and so did Dean.  
“You’re an ass.”  
“No, I-”  
“Have an ass, I know.” Castiel finished for him. Dean stepped forward, grabbing Castiel and bringing him close, so their foreheads touched.  
“Yeah, Castiel. I will definitely go out with you.” The two boys laughed, ignoring some annoyed and disgusted looks from some customers, only listening to the long “aw”s and heart eyes and claps.  
Although they still teased each other, Dean stopped referring to each other as frenemies. Instead he sent smiles and occasional winks. Instead of pushing each other around, Castiel held Dean’s hand when he was having a bad day. Instead of fighting, they gently pressed their sides against each other in comfort. A few months later and instead of smiles they sent kisses.  
And then, of course, there was the impala. Dean stopped by Castiel’s house ranging any time from 7 to 9. He would stay for a few hours, coming in and out of under the black muscle car while Gabriel worked under the hood. Castiel watched them from the grass, sitting cross legged next to the big red tool box they had pulled out of the closet. Dean would ask him for a certain tool, and after a few questions and a couple wrong tries, he would eventually hand Dean the correct object.  
Dean had said it would take him a very long time to finish with Gabriel’s help, but suddenly Michael started coming out and helping too, so they finished by the first day of fall.  
Dean Winchester had almost cried when Gabriel handed him the keys, informing him that they had bought a pickup a few weeks ago and didn’t need the black car anymore. He didn’t, instead he hugged Gabriel, then hugged Cas, then ran a hand over the impala’s hood, affectionately calling her his Baby.  
It was like Dean was better. Like he was cured from all the scars that were holding him back before. Sure, he still had his days where he didn’t come into work, and when Castiel asked why he just answered with a short cry of “I just can’t!”. Castiel covered for him more times then he would have liked to, but after work he would go over to the Winchester’s apartment to find Sam in the single bedroom, reading his school textbooks out loud to his brother, who lay curled up in the bed. Cas would sit down next to Sam without a word and they would alternate reading from the science book. Sometimes it helped, and sometimes it didn’t. But that chance was worth it for the times Dean laughed at a mispronounced word or got up and told them he was making mac and cheese.  
And there were days where Dean would flinch at loud sounds, like the clinking of plates in the sink or if one of the waitresses dropped a cup and began cursing it out. He would look around for Castiel, who came over and didn’t touch him, but stood by him. There were days when Dean went on walks, not because he was angry, just because he “needed one”. Castiel couldn't understand that, but Dean was always a little better when he came back- and Castiel knew he would always come back. Like a lost dog finding it’s way home.  
Sam did his homework at the diner each day, and it became a routine for the three of them, Dean, Sam, and Cas, to eat dinner there then head their separate ways home. Lunch breaks were the same way, except no Sam and no journey apart. Just the freckled boy and the blue eyed waiter. When it came that time of day everyone in the diner knew, because aprons were thrown lazily down in the kitchen and there was a flash of blond and black hair that seemed to mix together when they bolted out the front door. There you could find them, eating Pb and J that Castiel packed for them both, talking about who knows what. If you went there for a meal at that time, you would pass by them sitting on the curb across from Angel’s Diner, and if you listened closely you could catch a few phrases, such as “Big bag of dicks”, “Sammy”, “Lucifer”, and “Better now”. Sometimes, if you really tried, you might even hear the blond with green eyes softly say that he was okay.   
“Castiel!” Dean road down the street on his bike, swerving back and forth and waving at a car that honked. “Cas!”  
“What?” Castiel answered finally when Dean arrived at the front of the diner. Dean panted with a smile, hopped off his bike, and locked it to the bike rack. “Come on, Dean, what?” Castiel pried.  
“The bastard’s in jail.”  
“Who, Rick?” Dean nodded hard.   
“Apparently one of the other workers were having some trouble with him after I left and they decided to finally end his reign of terror.” He ran a hand through his hair. “They’re gonna have a whole trial, they talked to me a little but I told them I wanted to stay anonymous, Sam doesn’t need that kind of attention at school, you know? But anyway, he’s on trial to be charged for assault and abuse.” Castiel smiled too.  
“That’s great.” He told Dean when he had finished and pulled him into a hug. Dean was caught of guard, and he froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around the slightly shorter man. He laughed a little as he rested his head down on Cas’ shoulder.  
“C’mon you two lovebirds, we have customers!” They broke apart, blushing, at Sasha’s yelling.  
“We’re not-”  
“Lovebird’s isn’t really-” They each started awkwardly, but Sasha just gave them a look and went inside. Dean and Cas stood outside for a second longer, then decided not to tempt anything and followed her in. Dean’s hand swung closely to Castiel’s, who stilled it by grabbing it with his own open palm, and they walked into Angel’s Heaven together. 

“Hi, my name’s Dean and I’ll be your servant today.”  
“Dean, stop.”


	5. Breaking You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning- offensive homophobic slurs are used in this chapter

“Hey, Sammy, my favorite little brother.” Sam sighed and put his book down.  
“What do you want, Dean.” Dean sat down across from him at the table.  
“Why do you assume I want something?” He asked.  
“Dean.” he commanded.  
“Alright, I gotta tell you something. Don’t get mad I didn’t tell you before.” Sam looked at him.  
“What’s going on. Are you hurt?” He immediately asked, checking his brother with his eyes.  
“No! No, I’m not. The opposite, actually. I’m really happy.”  
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Good for you, are we done?” He opened his book again.  
“What, for once the chick doesn’t want to talk about feelings?” He asked. Sam sighed again.  
“Fine. Why have you been so happy.” He asked monotonically.  
“Well, you see Sammy, when two people really like each other-”  
“Dude, I don’t need the birds and the bees talk.”  
“I’m not giving you the birds and the bees talk! I was gonna say they go out!”  
“Okay? And?”  
“Well, you know how me and Castiel have been really good friends for almost a year now.”  
“Um, yeah?” Sam answered, albeit confused.  
“Well, for the past few months we haven’t exactly been just friends..”  
“More than a few months, right? Hasn’t it been like 9 or something?” Sam asked him, brushing his hair out of his face.  
“What?” Dean exclaimed, standing up.  
“Yeah, haven’t you and Cas been dating for, like, a long time now?”  
“You knew?”  
“Dude, everyone knows.” He sighed. “I’m pretty sure we all knew before you did. Gabe and me had a bet going on about who would tell their siblings first.” He smiled. “I win. You were so far in the closet, I thought I was gonna have to wait a lot longer.”  
“...no, but we just started dating, like, beginning of summer, like in June!”  
“Really? But what about that day you guys kissed in the car? Wasn’t that in May?”  
“No, that was April, and that was just a one time thing, well, until he asked me out in June!” Sam shrugged.  
“Well, next time you see Gabriel tell him to get his story straight.” With that, he went back to his book. Dean stood there watching him.  
“So, you don’t care- at all- that me and Cas are dating?”  
“Nope. Why would I?”  
“Let me rephrase that. You don’t care that me and another man are dating?”  
“Dude, I’ve known you were bi since you were in 10th grade and talked about how you would date the guy from The Great Gatsby if given the opportunity.”  
“That was a joke!”  
“Was it Dean. Was it really.” Dean watched as Sam continued to look at his his book. His little brother looked up a moment later to see Dean still standing there with his mouth and eyes wide. “Do you mind, I’m trying to study.”  
“Yeah, uh, sure.” Dean nodded. “I’m gonna take a shower-”  
“Let me guess- diner for dinner?” Dean smiled, pulling off his flannel and heading towards the bathroom. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

 

“Listen, Lady, I don’t want to be rude or nothing, I just don’t wanna be served by some fag.” Dean heard from where he was sitting in the kitchen. He was technically on break, but the diner was swamped today and Sasha had told them that he and Cas couldn’t take a break at the same time today, so it wasn’t worth it to go outside. Plus, it was getting cold out.  
“Your waiter’s name is Castiel, and I don’t think his sexuality has anything to do with how your food turns out.”  
“Well, listen, he makes me uncomfortable, you see, ‘cause who knows if he’ll start hitting on me or something. Listen, I saw him kissing his fag boyfriend yesterday in front of this here restaurant, but I didn’t know it worked here!” Dean stood up, marching through the swinging kitchen doors and over to the table the man was sitting at with his wife and kid.  
“Is there a problem here, Sasha?” He asks the manager, who warned him with cold eyes not to get too heated.  
“Oh, jesus, they both work here?” He said to her, then turned to Dean. “Listen, I don’t want to insult you or your little friend, but you gays have no place here, alright? You ain’t like us.”  
“And how are we not like you?” Dean asked angrily. Castiel, for the first time, seemed to notice the disruption in the crowded diner and started to come over.  
“You’re gonna touch us or something. You’re disgusting like that. Listen, I’ll stay here and get some food, but I want a different waiter than these two. I don’t want them around me or my family.” Dean turned around to see Castiel standing behind him, fidgeting awkwardly with his apron.  
“Listen, I don’t want to cause any trouble, but if you’d kindly get your fat ass out of here, it would be much appreciated.” The man stood, squaring up to Dean. He was much taller and way more muscular than Dean, but that didn’t mean the younger man was going to stand down.  
“What did you say to me, boy?”  
“I said get the hell out, you homophobic bastard.” Dean dodged the first punch, but didn’t have time to get out of the way before the second one hit him under the chin, knocking him flat on the ground. He saw a background of stars as the man stepped towards him. Before he could be hit again, however, something in a pink apron barreled into the large man, sending him into a table and onto the floor. He blinked a few times, suddenly getting his bearings again and sitting up. He looked around and saw Castiel with his arms crossed in front of his face, protecting himself from the man, who had gotten up again and was coming near him. Dean shot up like a rocket and punched the man in the side of the jaw, but he recovered quickly and pushed Dean down. He kept marching towards Castiel, who had taken a few steps back and looked fearfully towards Dean. The boy shot up once again and body slammed the customer, but he was grabbed and turned around, then pushed against the wall. Other customers began rushing towards them, taking in what was happening, and a few of the men pulled the aggressive attacker off of Dean, but not before he slammed Dean against the wall a few times, yelling a few harsh choice words. He almost fell over once the hands that had been pushing him up were removed, but he quickly felt smaller, gentler hands on his shoulders.  
“-ean. Dean, can you hear me.” He opened his eyes, which he hadn’t remembered closing, and saw Castiel’s face inches from his.  
“Yeah.” He pushed out, standing up straighter and relying on his own two legs, the wall, and Cas’ hands to keep his steady. He looked behind Castiel to see a few men holding the angry man down, and he heard sirens in the background.  
“Are you okay?” Castiel asked, and Dean looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time. He looked terrified, tears were pooling in the creases beneath the blue pearls.  
“Yeah, are you?” He answered, though really he wasn’t. There was something inside of his chest that wanted to break out and pummel the man, who was spitting on the ground and continuing to yell obscenities at Castiel and Dean, until he couldn’t breathe. There was something else too, a new protective feeling he hadn’t felt for anyone but Sam before. Castiel must have noticed the anger in his eyes, because he put the hand he had removed back on Dean’s shoulder and forced him to ignore the angry customer.  
“Dean, I’m fine, we’re all fine. It’s okay now.”  
“No it’s not.” He growled, causing Cas to remove the hand and take a step back.  
“You just need to calm down.” Castiel tried to reason, but Dean was already walking out the front door of the diner.  
“I’m taking a walk.” But it wasn’t followed by the normal smirk he usually had to make sure no one worried, and a quick ‘I’ll be back’ didn’t make it out of his mouth before the door slammed behind him, and for the first time, Cas wasn’t sure if everything was going to be okay.  
Dean’s dirty converse pounded against the pavement, still stained with grease from almost a year before.  
It’s surprising, really, how much things can change in just one year. Normally, for the past 3 years, winter had been a time to relax, to spend time with Sam, to ditch work a few times, avoid certain people, and just recap on everything. This year, however, it felt more like a new beginning than the end of 12 months.  
That was until today, where Dean stalked down the street, feeling the same way he always had felt before, as though nothing had happened. As though someone hadn’t come into his life and changed everything.  
Dean knew after about 15 minutes of walking he should start heading back, but he didn’t. The monster was still inside his chest and it hadn’t come out yet, so he kept on. Fell into a sort of groove. Put one foot in front of the other, and watch it change its mind as soon as it hit the ground, letting the other one fall into step behind it. Continuing the cycle, just as Dean was. Nothing would change, from the time he was a kid and his dad first yelled at him, to his old job at the parking garage where he was scared to come in everyday because he finally knew what big strong men did to smaller ones in the dark, to the mechanics, where he just couldn’t take it anymore, no matter what he did and where he went he would always, slowly, be ruining his life.  
He checked his old digital watch and found that it had already been half an hour. Cas would probably worry. He shrugged off the thought. No one would worry. No one would care if he left for an hour, a day, a year, hell, even for the rest of his life.  
But that wasn’t true and he knew it. He knew it but at the same time he didn’t. Or he didn’t want to. Or he just didn’t believe it. Either way, he had to go back eventually. Back to that stupid little street only a few blocks from his ratty apartment. Back to the corny diner where the workers wore pink aprons and the car garage next door where they tied their jumpsuits around their waists.   
So, he turned around, took a deep breath, and started going back home.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I wrote this a while ago and it's mainly completed. It's super fluffy but also super angsty and there are more finished chapters to come. Trust me guys, the ship picks up.


End file.
